High school students take a trip to Russia

SPARTA — In June some Russian-language students from Sparta High School embarked on a nine day journey to Russia. With suitcases in hand, the students boarded a bus and waved goodbye to parents, family members, and friends. The trip covered interesting spots around Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and included an in-depth tour of Red Square, a Russian-style circus, a river cruise, a movie, an overnight train, a tour of the Hermitage, a visit to Peter and Paul Fortress, an exploration of Catherine’s Summer Palace, a visit to Peterhof and other stops. The trip was meticulously chronicled through an Internet blog maintained by Suzanne Jouravlev, middle school Russian teacher and chaperone of the trip. “Knowing how difficult and expensive it is to call home from Russia and that finding internet access is not always an easy task, I wanted a way for everyone to see just what we were doing on a daily basis,” she said. Every night a photo and comment of the day’s events were posted to the blog for parents and any followers to see and comment on. It was Russian teacher and chaperone William Brennan’s first visit to Russia, even though he’s been teaching the language for 27 years. On the other side of the spectrum, Eric Hood has been to Russia and the Soviet Union 15 times since his first trip in 1982. After nine days in Russia, students attending the trip all agreed that their confidence in speaking Russian skyrocketed. Student Ciara Vitolo explained what it was like, “After living nine days in the culture, I was more at ease speaking Russian and it seemed more natural than being in a classroom.” The students on the trip all have been studying Russian for six years, beginning in middle school and continuing through high school. Some students may even continue Russian into college. After a jam-packed nine-day learning experience, students and adults alike were ready to go back home and share the memories they made in Russia.